Another country, another old car. The country, India; the car, the Premier Padmini. This classic was originally a common car for many Indian families, and later became a popular choice for taxi use in many cities across the country. When I travel I always hope to see an old car or two, and I wasn't disappointed when I arrived in Delhi last week for work. I had just collected my bag and was stepping outside to catch a taxi when I saw one. The driver sped off before I could grab a picture, but luckily I saw many more during my week-long visit to India.

The Padmini, or 'Pad', originated in 1964 and was based on the Fiat1100D. It would continue in some form or another right up until 2000. Engines and safety equipment were upgraded over the years, but the Padmini retained the same basic styling, with prominent fenders, an upright roof line, and round headlights. While modern cars are quickly replacing it on the road, there were still a fair number of the old Pad's on the streets of Mumbai.

I was lucky enough to be able to meet up with a friend from Mumbai, and she took me for a great lunch and showed me around the city. At one point during our walk, I saw one of the taxis pulled off to the side of the street with its hood up. Two men were looking through a box of parts, clearly trying to repair something. I went to take a peek, and they told me that the poor car was 'injured'. When I saw how simple the engine looked, I'm sure they managed to get it going quickly! I asked the year of the car and was astonished to find out it was from 1998. I would have guessed 1968! Clearly the Premier Padmini was aging gracefully, and had resisted the urge to get a facelift.

When it was time to take a taxi back to the airport, I was disappointed to find that none of the drivers of Padminis that I flagged down wanted to take the fare. Some said they didn't have enough gas, while others said it was too far. Maybe the Pad gets injured often, and they'd rather keep them in the city center. We did manage to crawl into the back seat of one before climbing out again, so I can proudly say I was in a Padmini in Mumbai, even if it was for only 17.6 seconds!

The next morning I flew out early, and assumed my experience with old Indian cars had ended, but I had a pleasant surprise. The person sitting beside me in the plane was a charming Indian woman from Delhi, and we started chatting. We discussed India, and our travels, and I casually mentioned what a fan I was of the Premier Padmini. She told me that her family owned an Ambassador, which is another classic Indian car (based on the British Morris Oxford) that shares a vague resemblance with the Padmini. She had many fond memories of travels all over the country in their Ambassador. One particular trip, with her husband, was when they drove 3000 kms from Delhi to Cochin. Her husband had written a story about it for a contest in a newspaper, and his article had won!

As if the story wasn't good enough, she pulled a copy of the original newspaper article from her bag! She happened to have it with her, and let me read it. There was a picture of her family in front of the Taj Mahal, and of the car, but none of her... because she was the photographer! My interest in this fantastic car went off the scale as she told me amusing stories about piling 12 people into one, or having to replace most every part on the car during their journey. She said there were no seatbelts, so her sons enjoyed playing (and fighting!) in the back seat as they drove for hours and hours.

I was hanging onto her every word, when she just about finished me off: her family still owns the car! They parked it 19 years ago, and it hasn't moved from the garage since, or maybe just out of the garage to be put right back in. Apparently it is sitting under a layer of dust in a garage at her husband's parents house in Delhi, but is otherwise in relatively good shape. At the end of the flight we exchanged phone numbers, and she told me that she will try to get a scan of the newspaper article and some of the original photos they have of it when she gets home again for a visit. I would sure love to see more, and hear other adventures they enjoyed from behind the wheel of their Ambassador...

EDIT: I made a major mistake with this article! The car I photographed, and saw all over Mumbai in taxi use, was a Fiat-based Premier Padmini, NOT the Hindustan Ambassador! At a glance the styles are similar, but they are certainly not the same thing at all! I have corrected the story, but the discussion I had on the plane with my seatmate and the newspaper article she shared WAS about the actual Ambassador. Sorry for the confusion!